Tajani concludes mission to Canada for the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, carried out a two-day mission to Canada for the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, under the Canadian Presidency. In addition to the G7 members, the discussions were attended by several countries invited by the Presidency, namely Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the Republic of Korea, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Ukraine.

The meeting opened on Tuesday, 11 November, with a working dinner on global peace and security, during which various crisis scenarios were discussed. Italy and the United States took the lead on discussions on various Middle Eastern issues; Great Britain on Sudan; and Germany on Ukraine. In view of the Cairo Conference for the reconstruction of Gaza, Minister Tajani reaffirmed Italy's commitment to the implementation of the American Peace Plan and its willingness to contribute to the governance, stabilization, and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Italy had already announced a €60 million package for the Gaza Strip, also to improve the efficiency of humanitarian aid. The Foreign Minister also highlighted the recent launch of the "Italy for Sudan" initiative, reiterating the importance of increasing humanitarian aid flows and confirming Italy's upcoming aid shipments for the most vulnerable, including children and internally displaced persons.

On Wednesday, 12 November, three thematic sessions were held. The first session, attended by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, focused on the conflict in Ukraine, and specifically on defence cooperation and ways to strengthen Ukraine's industrial capacity in this sector. The second session focused on maritime security and prosperity, following the G7 Declaration of last March, which relaunched action on supply chain security, the fight against piracy, and the protection of undersea infrastructure. India is a crucial partner in maritime security, also in the context of the Indo-Mediterranean Corridor (IMEC). The third session focused on energy security and critical minerals.

At the session on Ukraine, following the adoption of the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, the Foreign Minister reaffirmed Italy's full support for Ukraine and its commitment to strengthening Ukraine's energy resilience and ensuring its defence capacity.

With specific reference to raw materials, Minister Tajani emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation and political dialogue among G7 members to develop new partnerships with producing countries and promote private sector investment in sustainable critical mineral projects.